Success Stories

Bryan Wish

Terry College of Business: May 2015

Marketing Intern at Atlanta Hawks

During the spring semester of my freshman year I was sitting in my dorm room pondering what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I did not want to follow in my parents’ footsteps working in the mortgage industry, so I made a few advisement and Career Center appointments, and came to the realization there was a way to combine my passion for sports with business. This led me to reach out to local colleges in the Washington DC area as well as minor league teams where I looked for a summer internship. As a result of my research, I interviewed with American University’s Athletic Department, leading to a job where I developed marketing materials for events and compiled databases of contacts in the DC metropolitan area to help AU Athletics drive ticket sales.

When I returned to school in the fall, my mentor from American University advised me to apply to the Georgia IMG College “Property Assistant” position. Within a few weeks, I was working in Athens with IMG at home athletic events helping IMG carry out their sports marketing efforts for corporate sponsors.

After working in two different sports capacities, I felt the next logical step would be to see what it was like to work for a professional sports team. By reaching out to contacts I had developed during the past year, I was able to conduct informational interviews with a few members in the Atlanta Hawks organization. I also applied to the Summer Marketing Internship. I then reached out to the contacts I developed with the Hawks and let them know that I applied for the position. I was then fortunate enough to be 1 of 18 selected for the position out of 500 applicants. In my role, I was responsible for running a sports program where the Hawks went to over 40 pre-existing camps in the greater Atlanta area and co-branded with the camp. It was a great grassroots marketing experience as we spread the Hawks brand to thousands of kids in the Atlanta communities.

All of these experiences helped me realize the importance of finding something you are passionate about and pursuing your dreams without letting the fear of failure hinder the path you pursue. While I do not know where my path will take me, I hope to one day change the sports industry through the use of technology.